Parkinson proud of Preston performance

Bantams boss Phil Parkinson declared himself delighted with his side's performance as they stood toe-to-toe with hosts Preston North End in a pulsating Roses derby at Deepdale this Tuesday.

Headed goals from James Hanson and Rory McArdle proved enough to deservedly secure Parkinson's men a point in front of nearly 3,000 travelling City supporters.

The Preston point gets the scoreboard ticking once again for City after back-to-back league defeats, while the encouraging display against a side seen by many as one of the teams tipped for promotion will surely fill the Bantams full of confidence heading into this Saturday's mouth-watering encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Parkinson said: "I thought it was a tremendous game of football, and I was so pleased with our performance tonight (Tuesday). We were excellent.

"It was the sort of performance that has helped to get us to where we have come in this last fourteen months or so.

"We had the set-back of going 2-1 down in the second half, but the lads responded really well. I am so proud of their performance.

"We have spoke to the players in the past about having a never-say-die attitude, and they produced it again tonight. The fitness of the players looked really, really good and they kept going to the very end.

"We felt we could perhaps have nicked it at the end but, after losing two games previously, we'll take a point from the game.

"No disrespectful to the teams involved, but this time last year we were travelling to Accrington Stanley and Dagenham & Redbridge, so to play in such a match like this tonight and in such a great stadium with such a great travelling support behind us is what it is all about.

"We said to the players before the match that occasions like this were why we worked so hard to promoted last season, but, also, now we are here, we have to go out and make the most of it. We have to relish the night, and I think you could sense it in the players that they were up for doing just that.

"We have shown we can compete against a good side in this division and, at times, I felt we played some of our best football of the season.

"Tonight was a big night for us. We were coming into the game off the back of two defeats, but we have responded and got our season back on track."

Although a number of players caught the eye for City at Deepdale, winger Kyel Reid was probably the Bantams' most eye-catching performer.

The winger was a constant thorn in Preston's side as he continually tested the hosts' defence with his pace and trickery.

Parkinson added: "It was a good team performance but obviously Kyel Reid will take a lot of the plaudits though after his performance. I thought that was him back to his best. He got both sides of his game working tonight - defending and attacking.

"He is capable of producing that sort of display. When he plays at his best, he can play like he did tonight and really give defences a hard night."

Barely days after bemoaning City's lack of shape and defensive discipline in their weekend defeat to Crawley Town, Parkinson was pleased to see his side back on form again following their Deepdale display.

Parkinson continued: "The discipline of the side was back to how we wanted it to be after the weekend.

"That is how you get results in professional football, by playing in a disciplined manner.

"We had good spells of play at Crawley but I never truly felt comfortable on the touchline - we were too open. Too many players were five, six, seven yards out of position. That meant the game became too stretched for us and it made it a hard afternoon, especially for our two midfield players.

"Tonight was a lot better for us though - we got back to what we were all about."

Not for the first time this season, Parkinson's men were backed by a large away following for the Roses derby.

The Bantams chief said: "They were magnificent again. Kicking to those fans in the second half, it was almost like they were trying to suck the ball in the back of the net."